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Symptoms of Cancer in Cats

The symptoms with which your cat will present will very
much depend on the site of the cancer and the type. Some are very aggressive
and you will hardly have noticed that the cat is ill before you are getting
some very bad news from your vet. Others are slower growing and not so prone
to form secondaries – also known as metastases – and so you have a little
more time. But any animal which is behaving unusually should be seen by the
vet and any condition, no matter how seemingly slight, should be
investigated if it lasts for more than a few days. Cancer won’t go away just
because you choose to ignore it.

Skin Cancer Symptoms

This is not so much as symptom as a case of the cancer
being in plain sight. Most cats are very fastidious groomers and if there is
a problem with their skin you will see it straight away as they may well
avoid the area as it may be painful and so the fur will look sticky and
staring. The fur may fall out, leaving an obvious area of unhealthy looking
skin, a dark lesion or scales. This should be investigated immediately and
the vet will take a biopsy if he is in any doubt. Skin cancers can be
treated successfully with surgery in the early stages but they can spread,
not only across other areas of skin but also to internal organs.
Adenocarcinoma is particularly prone to this, often metastasising or even
starting as a primary between the toes, where amputation will often be the
only answer. This is a difficult place for the owner to spot and it is a
good idea to encourage the cat to enjoy having its whole body examined
regularly to check for anything unusual – and let’s face it, most cats won’t
say no to an all body stroking session!

Lumps and Bumps

Before any other symptoms such as lethargy and loss of
appetite kick in, many cancers show as a lump with can be easily felt on the
surface of the body. For example, lymphomas usually start on the head or
neck and a tumour of a lymph gland is very easy to spot there as the cat’s
face will look lopsided. They are also quite painful and so the animal will
resist petting on the site. Unfortunately, owners tend to mistake these
lumps for bites or ticks and time can be lost before treatment begins, which
can make all the difference in outcome. At the risk of saying the same thing
over and over, it is never too early to take a cat or any other animal for
that matter, to the vet if something unusual is noticed. Even if it turns
out to be a less serious condition than cancer, early treatment will be
better for the cat and ultimately, probably, for your pocket!

Cancer of the gut

The most common cancer of the gut is again
adenocarcinoma. This can spread quickly, blocking the gut and also affecting
nearby lymphnodes, which are strung along the whole length of the gut and
therefore never far from the primary. Also of course the lymph drains the
debris from the gut, including cells from the cancer which break away
easily. Fortunately, the symptoms are such that the owner will notice quite
quickly that the cat is ill. It will lose its appetite as the obstruction
grows and will become lethargic and may vomit. Surgery is quite successful
and the cat will recover quite well, although this is a cancer which tends
to recur. The symptoms are common to a lot of other conditions, but will not
lessen as might be the case in an infection or infestation, but will only
grow worse and very quickly.

General things to watch out for

As everyone knows who has ever owned a cat, they are
past masters at hiding the fact that they are ill. Any animal which has a
predator – and the domestic cat is not the top of the heap as their big cat
ancestor is – hides illness as a survival technique. Cats have been known to
purr even when severely injured or dying and it may be part of the animal’s
laid back nature that it tries not to let feeling ill get it down – who
knows. But the upshot is that the animal may be quite seriously ill before
you find out about it. In the case of a house cat of course you will be
aware very quickly if it is ill or not just from the state of its litter
tray, but a cat which is allowed out of doors is a very private animal who
is unlikely to defecate near the house and so you may never notice that it
is in trouble. Often, though, a cat who is unwell stops being clean in the
house because it feels to ill to go out of doors. If a cat which has been
reliably clean starts soiling in the house, it is time for a trip to the
vet. Otherwise, it is important to check for lumps, to watch the quality of
the coat, which often becomes unkempt or greasy looking in ill health and
also to check for foul breath, limping, unusual bad temper or other changes.
And the other important thing to remember is this – cancers in cats are
relatively rare. Don’t hide your head in the sand because you might get bad
news – treatment is always the best option.

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